India’s 1983 World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev has expressed concern over the team’s recent struggles against spin bowling. He has urged the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to take firm measures to address the issue. India were once considered one of the best teams when it came to playing spin, but their performances in recent years have exposed a growing weakness in this area.
Over the past two years, India have suffered two Test series whitewashes on home soil. New Zealand defeated India 3-0, followed by South Africa’s 2-0 series victory. In both series, opposition spinners troubled Indian batters with sharp-turning deliveries and exposed a weakness that has continued to concern the team.
Kapil Dev believes one of the major reasons behind India’s struggles against spin is the limited involvement of top players in domestic cricket. According to him, the BCCI should ensure that senior and leading players regularly participate in multi-day domestic matches.
Speaking at the launch event of the inaugural JITO Premier League, Kapil Dev said, “Playing domestic cricket is extremely important. One of the reasons why the Indian team struggles against spin is that the top players do not play enough domestic cricket. The BCCI should take a firm stand on this and make everyone play multi-day matches. This will also give young players an opportunity to play alongside the top players and learn from them.”
Kapil Dev also identified the excessive focus on white-ball cricket as another factor behind India’s struggles against spin. He believes that playing too much T20 and ODI cricket does not adequately prepare batters for the demanding conditions of Test cricket.
He said, “In recent times, India have not performed as well against spin bowling. They play too much T20 and ODI cricket. Test matches are a completely different ball game. I hope they sit together and think about this issue.”
The former India captain also expressed concern over the increasing number of injuries among fast bowlers and the workload they are being subjected to. With the growing number of T20 matches in modern cricket, Kapil urged the BCCI to closely monitor the physical demands placed on pacers.
He said, “Every player should understand their own body. There is too much T20 cricket being played these days, so you have to be careful about the toll it takes on the body. Our body is not naturally designed for fast bowling; it is more suited to batting. The BCCI should look into how much workload can be given to fast bowlers.”
India have also suffered a setback in their pace-bowling department ahead of the upcoming Test series. Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka, beginning on August 15 in Galle. In his absence, Auqib Nabi has been added to the Indian squad.